I used to think that I have a lot of problems compared to other people. I was so focus on these personal problems to the extent that I thought that I was the only one in this world that suffers from these issues. Thus, I felt that I was at a great disadvantage to achieve financial freedom as defined in the Rich Dad's series by Robert Kiyosaki..



I still remembered my undergraduate days living in a college hostel. It was just a single bedroom. I could afford to decorate up my room with items such as mini fridge, television and so on. Basically, it is a room with bare essentials. When I see other people rooms that were decorated with a lot of items, I really felt envious of them. How I wish that I could afford these items in my room as well.

When I started work upon graduation, I felt the financial burden of supporting my family. I was really envious of my friends from well to do family. Upon graduation, they need not worry about supporting their families financially. They could decide totally on how they spend their income. For me, there was not much of a choice.

I thought that I was the only one on Earth that had such problems. All I did was to complain and lament that life was unfair to me. I was only focusing on the negative side of the problems. I was not focusing on solving the problems. A lot of energy and time were wasted as a result.

What really opened my eyes is when I made an oversea trip. I saw a lot of poor people with much worst situation than me. This made me realized that I would never be the only one on Earth having problems. There will always be other people having similar problems like I do.

After attending seminars, listening to audiotapes and reading books include the Rich Dad's series by Robert Kiyosaki that I realized that successful people have also encountered various kind of problems in life before they are successful. The only difference is that they focus on solving the problems instead of complaining about the problems.

As a result, I start to change. Nowadays, I focus on how to solve my personal problems. On top of that, I have also learned not to compare problems with other people. Please note that comparing problems is nothing to do with discussing solutions for the problems. There are a few reasons why I have avoided that.

Firstly, if I compare my problems with other people, then I will be wasting my time. This is because I will achieve nothing by comparing problems. It is not as if I can find a solution by comparing problems.

Secondly, if I compare my problems with other people, then I will be focusing on how bad is my problems. This will cause me to think in a negative state and become pessimistic. If not handled properly, this can lead to depression.

For example, I was requested to go for further medical checkup after the initial one. The real reason is that the hospital wants to confirm on whether I have a particular health problem. Imagine if I go around telling people that I have a potential health problem on hand, what will happen? If I were to encounter pessimistic people, then they would tell me to imagine the worst. With so many people telling me negative things, then I would be likely to believe and suffer mentally.

After further checkup, there may not be any issue with my health at all. And I would have suffered mentally for nothing.

Thirdly, if I compare my problems with other people, then I will be indirectly causing other people to think in a negative state if they have much worst problems. Some people feel good if they know that others are doing worst than them. I feel that it is morally incorrect to do so.

For example, the poor guy is already having great difficulties facing his problems. Instead of giving him advice on how to go about solving the problem, I keep emphasizing that his problems are very much worst than mine. This is like rubbing salts on his wounds to make him feel worst.

Lastly, I also realized that there is no basis of comparison for problems. Regardless of the nature of the problems, the mental suffering is about the same for everyone. That is no one has a bigger problem than the other. The problem may seem small to you but it may be big to others.

For example, if a poor person lost $5, then he will suffer badly because he really needs the money to buy food to survive. If a rich person lost $5, then he may feel that it is no big deal since it is a very small amount.

In conclusion, it is always better focusing on solving the problems instead of comparing problems. Please have compassion for people who are suffering tremendously even though the problem may seem minor to you. Help them to overcome their problems if possible.

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